Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts

April 15, 2024
Middle school friends reunite to save a moldering B&B in this energetic second-chance romance from Sass (Your Lonely Nights Are Over). Grant Rossi, 18, has always blamed his poor dating record on a mangled wish he made five years before on the wishing rose, the centerpiece of his Italian American family’s vineyard and B&B. Fresh off a breakup with his influencer boyfriend, Grant impulsively speeds from Chicago to the exurb Valle upon his aunt Ro’s request to help refurbish the vineyard from his youth, which is in disrepair; the end-of-summer Rose Festival is their only chance to raise enough money to forestall selling the establishment. He’s thrown for a loop, however, when the summer gardener turns out to be Scottish American Ben McKittrick, 13-year-old Grant’s true love who broke up his first relationship by kissing Grant’s then-boyfriend. The teens agree to be civil, especially after Grant’s carefully planned social media post drums up fresh business. But lingering unsupportive family dynamics, long-held hurt feelings, and the impending return of Ben to Scotland cast a long shadow in this clamorous romance, which Sass renders via high emotion and some lightly fantastical flourishes. Characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

May 1, 2024
Eighteen-year-olds Grant Rossi and Ben McKittrick tackle their complicated history and creative projects in this enemies-to-lovers romance. Fashion designer Grant is cursed: His relationships never last more than a month, and now he's going through another breakup. Steeped in depression, he escapes Chicago to help save his aunt's floundering bed-and-breakfast. Memories of familial grief, history, and lore come flooding back. At 13, Grant made a wish on his family's legendary rosebush--but that wish became a curse. Now he's back, trying to return the Vero Roseto Garden Inn & Vineyard to its former glory. The Rose Festival, a walking tour culminating with a stop at Vero Roseto, is just two months away, and the grounds are in tatters. Luckily, Aunt Ro hired a new gardener, who happens to be Ben, Grant's former best friend. The last time they saw each other, Grant made his ill-fated wish--and Ben stole his boyfriend. As they get into the weeds of their history of heartbreak and "he said, he said" drama, the narrative gets bogged down by backstory. Still, the chance of romance lingers throughout. Ben fixes up the grounds, while Grant designs a living sculpture garden for the Rose Festival. Despite the repetition in the plot, the painterly construction of the characters is a high point of this novel. Through a combination of therapy, medication, and personal accountability, Grant discovers a better way to live. Grant is Italian American; Ben is from Scotland. A sincere love story that patient readers will appreciate. (Romance. 14-18)

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June 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 As a heartbroken, closeted 13-year-old, Grant Rossi wished his romantic woes away. Now 18, he knows that he cursed himself that night: he's destined to be dumped by every boy he dates. But when an impulsive visit to his family's vineyard turns into a summer spent striving to bring it back to its former glory, Grant finds himself working shoulder to shoulder with the very boy who inspired his ill-fated wish. A deep-seated penchant for drama, clinical depression, and an uncertainty about his post-summer plans make Grant a realistically messy teen who isn't always the easiest to root for but is incredibly relatable. Romance does not take center stage; the narrative instead focuses on Grant coming to terms with his past and hesitantly opening up to future possibilities. Accordingly, the conclusion is the delicate combination of realistic, hopeful, satisfying, and slightly open-ended that Sass (Your Lonely Nights Are Over, 2023) has demonstrably mastered. Come for the Wishing Rose, stay for the work-in-progress characters, and walk away assured that Grant's journey is just beginning.

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August 1, 2024

Gr 10 Up-Recent high school graduate Grant Rossi is reeling from being dumped by his latest boyfriend. He believes that this is just another failed relationship brought on by a curse from a wish he made on the Wishing Rose at his family's vineyard. Once excited about going to design school and becoming a fashion designer, Grant's latest bout of depression has made it difficult for him to plan for his future. He decides to go to the vineyard in an attempt to help the struggling bed-and-breakfast that has been in his family for generations. When he arrives, he discovers his childhood best friend and reason for the wish, Ben, is working as the gardener on the property. Grant's struggles with depression and self-acceptance are not sugar-coated; he frequently uses the curse as an excuse for why his relationships end instead of working through his emotions and past traumas. Grant knows that he needs changes in his life but has to figure out what those changes need to be. Ben is Scottish, kind, and has his own life issues he must face, including the fallout from his friendship breakup with Grant. Grant's big Italian family is supportive but also has to come to terms with the roles they have played in Grant's depression and reactions to his coming out. VERDICT A LGBTQIA+ romance wrapped in wishes, self-discovery, and roses. Hand to older teens who like their romance with a healthy dose of angst.-Ashley Leffel

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